Vibrator for bag filling apparatus



June 23, 1959 N. R. HENRY 2, ,77

VIBRATOR- FOR BAG FILLING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 2, 1955 w it m2 FIG.I h fl 1 in; J

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INVENTOR.

NELSON R. HENRY ATTORNY United States Patent VIBRATOR FOR BAG FILLING APPARATUS Application September 2, 1955, Serial No. 532,353

Claims. (Cl. 259-54) This invention relates to a vibrator for bag filling apparatus and is particularly concerned with means for vibrating a bag holding device during the filling operation so as to facilitate the adequate loading of material within the bags. While certain aspects of the present invention may be broadly applicable to various types of apparatus, the invention as here presented is more specifically designed for use in the filling of receptacles with potato chips or like frangible material where vibration is desired but in which such vibration is of small amplitude and regular, as distinct from that caused by impact, and of such speed as to preclude the danger of injury to the material being deposited in the bags.

While vibrating means of various sorts have heretofore been widely used in connection with numerous types of equipment, including those of material handling and bagging or filling devices, such apparatus is usually designed to provide a very sudden vigorous vibration of substantial amplitude and such rapidity as to be inappropriate for handling apparatus for frangible material such as potato chips and the like.

It is therefore among the primary objects of the present invention to provide novel and improved Vibrating means by which a regular vibration of small amplitude may be imparted to elements of material handling equipment.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a structurally simple and effective device for the vibration of a bag carrying arm of a material handling device.

A further object of the present invention is to provide means for vibrating a relatively flexible member to which a bag may be applied so as to provide for an appropriate vibration of the bag as it is disposed adjacent to a filling station.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide rotary means successively engageable with the indexing arms of the material handling apparatus whereby such arms may be successively vibrated as they are brought to a loading station of the material handling apparatus.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel improved vibration wheel and mounting thereof which is particularly suited to application to standard types of material handling machines and particularly such machines as employed in the filling of receptacles with potato chips or like frangible materials.

Numerous other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from consideration of the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly in section of one typical type of material handling apparatus to which the present invention is shown as applied.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail side elevation, partly in cross-section, showing the mechanism of the present invention.

In general terms, that form of the present invention here presented by way of illustration may be broadly defined as comprising a vibrating wheel together with drive means therefor which includes a shaft having an eccentric portion to which the wheel is applied. One important feature of the present invention is the fact that the vibrating wheel is rotatably mounted on the eccentric whereby upon contact of the wheel periphery with means to be vibrated, relatively stationary rotary condition may exist while the eccentricity of the wheel mounting will provide the appropriate vibration without slippage and undue wear between the wheel and the element to be vibrated.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, the present invention here shown as mounted upon a conventional type of bag filling equipment framentarily disclosed in such figure and including a base 10, housing structure 11, drive motor 12, transmission means 13 and an indexing drive clutch arrangement generally indicated at 14 by which shaft 15 is periodically rotated in step-by-step motion whereby bag supporting arms 16 secured by disk 17 through securing means indicated at 18 are successively indexed for presenratus herein schematically illustrated and that such device is merely illustrative of many conventional types' of equipment by which receptacle supporting arms are indexed to a filling station and subsequently moved therefrom in successive indexing movements. 5 i

In the structure of the present invention, the arms 16 are preferably flat steel bars of sufiicient degree of flexibility to permit vibration thereof. While relatively rigid to the extent of being adequate to support the bag attaching means 20 and the material deposited in bags attachedv thereto as the indexing operation proceeds, such arms are nevertheless flexible to the extent of providing limited motion as indicated by the dotted lines 21 of Fig. 3. While the invention is not concerned with the general structure of the material handling apparatus depicted in Fig. 1, it will be understood that the invention does embrace the provision of the semi-flexible arm 16 radiating from the supporting disc 19 to which they are secured with the plate 17 and securing means 18.

Means for imparting vibration to the arms 16 as they successively approach a selected indexed position as indicated directly to the right in Figs. 1 and 2, there is provided a drive motor 30, the shaft 31 of which has mounted thereon a suitable pulley 32 by which rotary motion is transmitted to a companion pulley 33 through suitable belt 34. The pulley 33 is mounted upon shaft 35 supported in bracket 36 by which continuous rotary motion is imparted from the motor 30 to the shaft 35. It will of course be understood that the invention is not limited nor confined to the specific motor mounting and transmission mechanism herein shown and that equivalent drives may be readily provided for the shaft 35 if desired.

As more clearly presented in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the outer end of the shaft 35 is formed as by turning with a reduced terminal end 35 of cylindrical form which end is disposed on an axis spaced from the axis of the shaft 35 so as to define an eccentric location for the cylindrical end 35'. As herein presented, the cylindrical end terminates in shoulder 37 which receives and abuts the inner face of inner bearing race 38, the companion race 39 of which mounts ball bearings 40 therebetween. On the outer face of the outer bearing race 39, there is mounted a vibration wheel 41 including a companion plate 42, the wheel 41 having a rabbeted peripheral configuration indicated at 43 in which is seated a rubber or like vibration imparting contact ring 44 which is secured in the rabbet 43 by the peripheral flange 45 of the plate 42. The plate 42 is secured to the wheel 41 through outer bolts 46 and inner bolts 47, the latter also providing for securement of 3 plate 48. The inner race 38 is secured upon the eccentric cylindrical end 35 of the shaft 35 by a suitably threaded securing screw, as indicated at 50.

As heretofore noted in the operation of the device, the arms 16 are successively indexed in the filling operation to successively come to a position axially parallel with that of the shaft 35 and thus directly over and in contact with the vibration ring 44 as illustrated. It will of course be seen that rotation of the shaft 35 will impart a bodily orbital movement to the cylindrical end 35' thereof, which movement is transmitted to the inner race 38 and to the outer race 39 and hence to the wheel 41, its plate 42. and the contacting ring 44. However, an important feature of the present invention is the fact that the bearing rotates within the Wheel so that the wheel is rotatably mounted by the bearing 38-49 to be free for rotation as well as free to remain rotatively stationary with respect to the shaft 35 While moving in an orbital path with the path of movement of the cylindrical end 35 of the shaft 35. Thus the ring 44 will not partake of rotary motion on its own axis, and thus its contact with arm 16 will remain stationary with respect to rotation but will impart a vertical oscillation to the arm 16 thereby to effect a vibration in limited amplitude and without loss of contact between the arm and wheel so as to preclude undue vigor of vibrational movement. Further, the arrangement precludes the surface translation between the arm 16 and the vibrating ring 44, thus to avoid wear therebetween. As indicated, the ring 44 is preferably formed of rubber or like material of such limited resiliency as to permit the desired vibration without impact.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the present invention provides a novel, simple and convenient means for inducing the desired type of vertical vibration to the arm 16 and that the structure is simple, efficient and effective and well designed to meet the demands of economic manufacture. In considering the present invention, it will of course be obvious that the invention is not limited to the structural details herein presented; and, therefore,

4 numerous changes, modifications and the full use of equivalents may be resorted to in the practice of the invention without departing from the spirit or scope thereof as defined in the appended claims.

5 I claim:

1. In a machine of the class described, a plurality of flexible arms, means to index said arms in sequence into a given position, and means for flexing said arm in sequence to impart a vibratory motion to each arm when it is in such position.

2. The device of claim 1 in which the means to impart vibratory motion to said arms comprises a disc mounted for free rotation on a bearing mounted eccentrically on a rotatable shaft.

3. The device of claim 1 in which the flexible arms comprise flat spokes radiating from a shaft by which the arms are indexed.

4. In a machine of the class described, a Vertical shaft mounted for indexing, horizontally flat flexible radial arms mounted on said shaft, and means for sequentially flexing said arms located to impart vibratory motion to each of said arms when it is indexed to a predetermined position.

5. The device of claim 4 in which the means to impart vibratory motion to said arms comprises a horizontal shaft driven at a constant speed, an eccentric portion on said shaft, a disc mounted for free rotation on said eccentric, said disc being so located as to lift the arms as they are indexed thereover.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 767,393 Doble Aug. 16, 1904 1,496,204 Brandstetter June 3, 1924 2,654,518 Kindseth Oct. 6, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 363,653 Germany Nov. 11, 1922 

